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Why Small Business Need

Virtual Assistance? Prepared By

Imran Hussain

An increasingly popular administrative help which become the most important element for the small business Industry

Every person has some responsibilities in his/her life which he/she may like to delegate

his easiness. The same can be considered for business industry. Before going to make any decision

regarding the virtual assistance you should know

Usually you work on weekends just to keep up your routine administrative tasks.

You are unable to create and organize your follow

up-to-date client database.

You may not have all the above situations but few of them. If it is, then you must start thinking

on given below points:

Are your expectations realistic

An increasingly popular administrative help which become the most important element for the small business Industry

responsibilities in his/her life which he/she may like to delegate

his easiness. The same can be considered for business industry. Before going to make any decision

regarding the virtual assistance you should know why you need it.

You have exciting work projects

your business and every time you want to work on

it, unfortunately you couldn’t because of your busy

schedule.

Most of the times you want to do some

creative work for your business but you couldn’t

because your routine work does not allow

think extensively.

weekends just to keep up your routine administrative tasks.

You are unable to create and organize your follow-up with clients because you have not

date client database.

not have all the above situations but few of them. If it is, then you must start thinking

Are your expectations realistic?

This may not good idea to start your new project without

having a trial period or some results. Set some procedures,

processes and standards for your project. Also, you have to

set some deadlines to get it officially on board.

your outsourced efforts to be perfect right out of the gate.

You’ll need to plan for a trial period and graduall

An increasingly popular administrative help which become the most important

responsibilities in his/her life which he/she may like to delegate because of

his easiness. The same can be considered for business industry. Before going to make any decision

exciting work projects or ideas for

your business and every time you want to work on

it, unfortunately you couldn’t because of your busy

you want to do some

creative work for your business but you couldn’t

e work does not allow you to

weekends just to keep up your routine administrative tasks.

up with clients because you have not

not have all the above situations but few of them. If it is, then you must start thinking

start your new project without

Set some procedures,

processes and standards for your project. Also, you have to

set some deadlines to get it officially on board. Don’t expect

your outsourced efforts to be perfect right out of the gate.

You’ll need to plan for a trial period and gradually inch your

way into outsourcing over an extended period of time, say twelve months. Then you’ll need to

communicate clearly and often with your VA and make adjustments as you go.

How VA can be

There are some tasks or responsibili

outsource like Lead generation activities, like blogging, publishing newsletters, submitting articles

It’s important to keep in mind that not all tasks are well

things that are simply easier to do yourself and would

attempted to delegate them. Generally, these types of tasks take too long to teach someone else

how to do them, are too complex to outsource completely, or require too much oversight on

your part to justify the cost in time and money.

How can I Hire VA?

If you are thinking to hire a VA, make sure to give yourself enough time to plan for the effective

way into outsourcing over an extended period of time, say twelve months. Then you’ll need to

communicate clearly and often with your VA and make adjustments as you go.

can be Helpful OR Afford

responsibilities that can be done in a more efficient way if

ead generation activities, like blogging, publishing newsletters, submitting articles

to directories and maintaining social network profiles

(Twitter, Face-book, LinkedIn etc.).

Also VA can be helpful for administrative tasks, like

responding to routine emails (you create the canned

responses, and the VA customizes them; this would

work especially well if you routed all responses from

web forms to your VA).

Compiling quotes for your services, requesting guest

posting opportunities with other bloggers (incoming

and outgoing), etc.

It’s important to keep in mind that not all tasks are well-suited for outsourcing. There are certain

things that are simply easier to do yourself and would actually take longer to complete if you

attempted to delegate them. Generally, these types of tasks take too long to teach someone else

how to do them, are too complex to outsource completely, or require too much oversight on

in time and money.

How can I Hire VA?

If you are thinking to hire a VA, make sure to give yourself enough time to plan for the effective

use of virtual assistant services.

should have to list-up given below

tasks in order to hire VA

i. Discover the rou

are unable to keep them properly.

way into outsourcing over an extended period of time, say twelve months. Then you’ll need to

Affordable?

that can be done in a more efficient way if they get

ead generation activities, like blogging, publishing newsletters, submitting articles

to directories and maintaining social network profiles

administrative tasks, like

responding to routine emails (you create the canned

responses, and the VA customizes them; this would

work especially well if you routed all responses from

r services, requesting guest

posting opportunities with other bloggers (incoming

suited for outsourcing. There are certain

actually take longer to complete if you

attempted to delegate them. Generally, these types of tasks take too long to teach someone else

how to do them, are too complex to outsource completely, or require too much oversight on

If you are thinking to hire a VA, make sure to give yourself enough time to plan for the effective

use of virtual assistant services. You

up given below

tasks in order to hire VA

Discover the routine tasks you

are unable to keep them properly.

Decide whether these tasks can be managed by yourself or you want to delegate them to

VA. Once you have decided to delegate the responsibilities to VA, Start searching

potential VA’s for the tasks.

ii. The best place to find-out VA is your own network. Send an email to your business

partners, colleagues and other resource (they suppose to be helpful).

iii. You may get the some potential applicants for the situation vacant under your

supervision.

iv. Screen the applicants, you consider the best suitable, for your tasks, List down the skills

you want to keep your work properly.

v. Prepare a test for the required tasks and give it to applicants. Start call for interview to

those who passed the test with highest scores.

vi. Ask some important questions like :

a) Do you have experience in handling (insert task you want done)?

b) What are your hours (times, days) of operation?

c) What are your fees? Do you bill hourly, by project or on retainer?

d) Do you have the time availability in your schedule to take on my project?

e) How quickly will you get back to me when I email or call you?

f) Do you have a team to support you? If yes, will I be working directly with you, or

will I occasionally work with other members of your team?

g) What services do you provide (and what services don't you provide)?

h) Can you give me an overview of how you work with clients?

i) How long have you been in business?

j) Are you in full-time or part-time practice? etc

vii. Hire slowly, fire quickly. Doing your research up front helps minimize problems down the

line. However, on occasion, once you begin working with a VA, you may find that

despite a brilliant start, things turn sour. If your VA misses several deadlines, makes the

same type of mistake again and again, or is difficult to deal with, you may decide to call it

quits. "It's best to put the request to terminate the services in writing," says John. "Be sure

to include the date on which the services will cease and any work already paid for that

you expect the VA to complete prior to that date."

Imran Hussain